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word-docx-splitter

Split large Word documents (.docx) into smaller chunks and reassemble them. Use when working with large legal documents, contracts, or agreements that need to be processed in smaller pieces—particularly useful when AI tools struggle with document size limits. Supports splitting by heading style (e.g., "Heading 1") or text pattern (e.g., "ARTICLE"), and merging edited chunks back together.

personAuthor: jakexiaohubgithub
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Word Document Splitter & Merger

Split large .docx files into smaller documents by article/section, then reassemble after editing.

Dependencies

pip install python-docx lxml --break-system-packages

Quick Reference

| Task | Command | |------|---------| | List styles | python scripts/docx_splitter.py doc.docx --list-styles | | Split by style | python scripts/docx_splitter.py doc.docx --split-on "Heading 1" | | Split by pattern | python scripts/docx_splitter.py doc.docx --pattern "ARTICLE" | | Merge chunks | python scripts/docx_merger.py ./chunks/ -o merged.docx |

Splitting Documents

Step 1: Identify Split Points

Always check available styles first:

python scripts/docx_splitter.py document.docx --list-styles

Step 2: Split

By heading style (preferred for well-formatted documents):

python scripts/docx_splitter.py document.docx --split-on "Heading 1" --output-dir ./chunks

By text pattern (for inconsistent styling):

python scripts/docx_splitter.py document.docx --pattern "ARTICLE" --output-dir ./chunks
python scripts/docx_splitter.py document.docx --pattern "^SECTION \d+" --output-dir ./chunks

Split Options

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | --split-on, -s | Style name (e.g., "Heading 1", "Heading 2") | | --pattern, -p | Regex pattern (e.g., "ARTICLE", "^SECTION \d+") | | --output-dir, -o | Output directory (default: <input>_split/) | | --no-header | Exclude preamble content from each chunk |

Output Structure

Files are numbered for proper ordering:

document_split/
├── 00_Preamble.docx          # Content before first split point
├── 01_ARTICLE_I.docx
├── 02_ARTICLE_II.docx
└── ...

Merging Documents

Reassemble edited chunks:

python scripts/docx_merger.py ./chunks/ -o final_document.docx

Merge specific files in order:

python scripts/docx_merger.py file1.docx file2.docx file3.docx -o merged.docx

Merge Options

| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | -o, --output | Output path (required) | | --page-breaks | Add page breaks between sections | | --include-duplicates | Keep duplicate preamble content |

Typical Workflow

# 1. Check document structure
python scripts/docx_splitter.py BigContract.docx --list-styles

# 2. Split by articles
python scripts/docx_splitter.py BigContract.docx --split-on "Heading 1" -o ./chunks

# 3. Edit individual chunks (with Harvey, Claude, or manually)

# 4. Reassemble
python scripts/docx_merger.py ./chunks/ -o BigContract_Final.docx

Limitations

  • Cross-references: Internal references preserved but not auto-updated if sections renumber
  • Tables: Tables spanning split boundaries may break
  • Numbering: Automatic numbering restarts per chunk
  • Track changes: Preserved but may need reconciliation after merge

Tips for Legal Documents

  • Split at ARTICLE level for credit agreements and loan documents
  • Use --pattern when heading styles are inconsistent (common in opposing counsel docs)
  • For very large definition sections, re-split that chunk by "Heading 2"
  • Review merged document at section boundaries for formatting issues